Nagpur: Officials of the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Maharashtra, have dismissed as fake a viral video circulating on social media that purportedly shows a man offering liquor to a tiger on a deserted road near the reserve.
The clip, which gained massive traction over the past two days, appeared to show a sub-adult tiger interacting with a man identified in the accompanying post as “Raju Patel,” a labourer allegedly intoxicated at the time. The viral post claimed the incident occurred on October 4, 2025, and was captured on CCTV near Pench, further alleging that forest officials later arrived to escort the tiger back to the wild.
Social media users widely shared the video with humorous and exaggerated details, portraying Patel as a “local legend” who mistook the tiger for a “big cat” and tried to share his home-brewed liquor with it.
However, PTR authorities have confirmed that the footage is not genuine. “The video is AI-generated. It is unfortunate that even educated individuals are forwarding such misleading content on social media,” clarified Pench Field Director A. Sreelakshmi, urging citizens to verify information before sharing.
She further cautioned that spreading misinformation can harm wildlife conservation efforts and distort public perception of forest life. The forest department has also warned that legal action could be taken against those involved in creating or circulating such fabricated content.
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